Food for Thought: Healthy family travels

Tuesday

Jan 14, 2014 at 1:01 AM

By More Content Now

Looking to take a road trip but dread hearing the infamous “Are we there yet?” or “Can we please, please stop for fast food?” questions? Never fear, registered dietitian, author and mother, Pamela Nisevich Bede, offers creative ways to keep your family (and you) satisfied and entertained while traveling.• Who cares if we’re there yet? In addition to today’s technological offerings, equip your pint-sized passengers with books and travel board games, and play no-equipment-needed games, such as license plate bingo, I Spy, or 20 Questions.• Energy to burn. You’ve got their minds exercised now, but what about their bodies? Do a little research ahead of time and plot your stops at rest areas that have green space. When you get there, do a quick round of jumping jacks or a 10-minute game of tag.• Plan ahead. There’s nothing worse than being buckled in the car for hours with nothing healthy to snack on. For your next trip, avoid feeling trapped by packing all-natural, healthful snacks, such as nuts and dried fruit.• Drink up. Make sure you and your family stay hydrated during road trips by packing refillable water bottles for the long ride. Visit your local dollar store to stock up on different colored water bottles to assign to each person. If you’re feeling crafty, have your kids decorate their own bottles with markers, stickers, puffy paint and anything creative from the craft store.• Don’t fight it. When planning your next road trip, work with your child’s schedule and not against it. Put them to bed at their regular time and feed them breakfast as you always would. For example, leave before the sun comes up so your child is still able to sleep during part of the ride. Once it’s time for a rest stop, you’ll be able to gas up and give your kids a proper, healthy breakfast at their regular time.— Brandpoint

Number to KnowButter substitute430: Small substitutions are easy to do and make a noticeable difference. By replacing 1 cup of butter with 3/4 cup of olive oil, you will save approximately 430 calories and 48 grams of fat calories.— Brandpoint

Easy RecipeDouble Chocolate Toffee Cookies• 3/4 cup extra light tasting olive oil• 1 cup granulated sugar• 1 t vanilla extract• 3 eggs• 1 cup all purpose flour• 1 cup cocoa powder• 1 t baking soda• 2 T hot water• 1 t sea salt and extra for sprinkling• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips• 1 cup toffee bits or chocolate toffeeIn a stand mixer, beat the olive oil, sugar and extract until well mixed. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water and set aside.Add cocoa powder, flour and salt into the mixer. Mix until rich dough comes together. Add in the dissolved baking soda. Then mix in the chocolate chips and toffee.Scoop the dough using a small ice cream scoop onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on top of each cookie dough ball.Bake at 350 F for 8 minutes, until the edges are set.Let cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring to wire rack or plate.— Brandpoint

Food QuizOlive oil is a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat that is rich in vitamin E and antioxidants that help protect your cells from damage. True or false?Answer at bottom of rail.Wise to the Wordhaloumi: Salty and textural, haloumi cheese actually squeaks when you eat it. With a high melting point, this semi-hard, unripened brined cheese is made from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk, and sometimes also cow’s milk.— Cookthink

The Dish On…“The Great American Slow Cooker Book: 500 Easy Recipes for Every Day and Every Size Machine Paperback,” by Bruce WeinsteinThe ultimate in slow-cooker books — with 500 recipes, each adapted for three sizes of appliance. From breakfast to soups, mains to grains, vegetables to desserts, this guide is the only book you’ll ever need to master your slow cooker or Crock-Pot.— Amazon